JC basketball: Fresno City men’s coach Ed Madec owns wins record; CVC women’s powers collide

Fresno City College men’s basketball coach Ed Madec has never liked discussing personal accomplishments.

The 10-year coach always wanted his players – past or present – to do the talking.

So it was no surprise that in the wake of picking up his school-record 279th win last month at the Allan Hancock tournament, Madec simply offers: “I don’t know what to say.”

The Rams, No. 5 in the state and No. 3 in Northern California, defeated the Bulldogs 97-80 on Dec. 29, with Madec passing the late Joe Kelly – who held the record for 50 seasons.

Madec now sits at 281-49 (.852) as the Rams (15-5, 1-0), winners of 10 in a row, head into Saturday’s 7 p.m. Central Valley Conference game against West Hills (8-7, 1-0).

True to form, his players had plenty to say on his behalf.

“I did not know how close he was exactly to the record,” guard Nick Hilton said. “But I knew he was close, and I’m not surprised that he got it since he’s the best coach in the state. He just challenged us physically and mentally every single day, whether it’s on the court or in the weight room or watching film.

“He makes special relationships and bonds with each player, and we know he wants the best for all of us. When you know your coach cares about you like that, then it’s a lot easier to go (play) for him and do what he asks.”

Kelly’s 12-year record was 278-105 (.726), with seven league titles and two state championships along with a runner-up and two third-place finishes.

Madec took over in 2006-07 from Vance Walberg and has won two state titles (2006-07, 2011-12), advanced to the state championship tournament five times and won nine conference titles. Another CVC title this season would be the team’s 15th in a row, which would be a NorCal record.

Walberg won four and Mark Mendez one in 2001-02. Skyline won 14 in a row under Pete Pontacq, who coached from 1979 to 2001.

In the CVC, Madec is 105-6.

Guard-forward Mike Crawley, who was on the 2011-12 state title team before taking three years off for family reasons, said every player has an individual relationship with Madec that brings out the best in them.

“Honestly, I didn’t know that the milestone was so close for him until it happened,” Crawley said. “He lets us play for each other and achieve goals as a team, not so much individual goals. But knowing now that we made history for coach Madec means the world to me, because he gives us so much. It’s nice to give him something in return.”

Sultan Toles-Bey, in his first season as a Rams assistant, was on the 2006-07 state championship team. His word to describe Madec: “humble.”

“When it’s all said and done, whenever that may be, he’ll look back on it with a lot of pride and be very grateful,” Toles-Bey said. “I know he appreciates all his players that played for him. It’s not about personal accomplishments. It’s always about his team, and it’s always been that way.”

Rams women host West Hills-Lemoore – Even though the Fresno City women’s game Saturday can be seen as an early CVC showdown, Rams coach Brian Tessler doesn’t like to look at it that way.

Tessler argues each game is just as important as another and each opponent is likely to give the Rams its best game.

The NorCal top-ranked Rams (15-3, 1-0) and No. 11 West Hills-Lemoore (12-5, 1-0) will meet at 5 p.m. at the Rams’ gym.

The Golden Eagles are led by center Michelle Brown (17.3 points) and guard Samantha Earl (11.9 points). The teams met at the West Hills tournament, with the Rams winning 75-73 on Dec. 20.

“They certainly have our attention,” Tessler said. “They match up well against us defensively. They generally don’t make many mistakes.”

The Golden Eagles shoot 48.5 percent from the field, while the Rams are at 43.7 percent. Fresno City guard Erin Pallesi is averaging 11.2 points.

This story was originally published January 8, 2016 at 6:12 PM with the headline "JC basketball: Fresno City men’s coach Ed Madec owns wins record; CVC women’s powers collide."